March 2010 - Heleen's Blog

Do you Believe?

August 15, 2010March 29, 2010 by Heleen

Have you prayed to be set free from food addiction for years? Have you asked God to heal your child, repair your marriage, supply finances, or give you your heart’s desire for a long time? After all this time, you might be telling others that you still trust God and you have faith, but somewhere along the line, you stopped believing… You can be honest with God you know. He already knows what you are thinking and what is going on in your heart. Unfortunately unbelief is one of those “poisons” that creeps up on us. We don’t wake up one morning and BOOM! no more faith. It usually happens gradually as we keep falling into the same sin, keep waiting for an answer, or keep praying for the same thing year after year. Remember the woman with the issue of blood who only received healing after enduring many years of suffering? One thing about her hits me every time I read that passage: She had faith…she literally crawled through the crowd to touch the hem of His garment because she was convinced that if she could only touch His clothes, she will be healed. Dearest woman of God, I beg you not to give in to unbelief. Unbelief can keep you from your miracle, your freedom, and your growth along the way. Be honest with God, then repent from unbelief, and ask Him to restore your faith. You are in step with the Word if you ask for faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV) “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV) …

Time to Get Angry!

August 15, 2010March 22, 2010 by Heleen

Maybe it’s time to get angry. I felt my blood pressure rise and a “holy anger” came over me while reading a few emails of ladies these past weeks. These were emails of pain, bondage, and hopelessness and while my heart was bleeding for each one of these precious women, I was also getting so mad at the enemy. I’m angry because of a vicious lie Satan has been using for ages to keep us in bondage. It’s the lie of “you can’t possibly come to God in this disgusting state that you are in” Do you realize how many women are kept in bondage daily because they believe: “I can only go back to church once I’ve lost some weight” “I will join that women’s Bible study once I’ve stopped gambling” “I will talk to a pastor after I’ve ended this relationship” “I can not pray while I still have these evil thoughts” “I can not read my Bible while I still yell at my kids” Ladies, IT’S TIME TO GET MAD AT THE ENEMY! We don’t have the power to save or change ourselves. So if the enemy can just get us to believe the lie that we have to fix ourselves before coming to God we are trapped! I am adding this part about the prodigal son that I’ve posted before because it is so important to hear again. God is calling you, just as you are. You might be dealing with incredible pain, shame, or anxiety at this very moment. You might have just eaten so much food that you are in physical pain. Maybe you just purged and you feel shame hanging like a cloak around your shoulders. Maybe you are past all these feelings and you just feel a great numbness inside of you… Seriously, God is …

Anybody for Some Dancing?

August 15, 2010March 15, 2010 by Heleen

I know exercise might not be your favorite topic, it’s not mine either, but let’s face it: Spring is in the air and our bodies are itching to get moving, even if our minds are still glued to the couch! My battle in this area is no secret, so fortunately I don’t have to pretend with you ladies. For many, many moons exercise in my book meant only one thing: TORTURE! Every time I started using exercise to get rid of some unwanted rolls around my mid section, I found myself despising it with a passion. I would get up in the morning and mumble to myself “This is just not natural, nobody does this, I must be crazy…” Weekends were even worse… who would want to “spoil” a weekend with exercise? WHEN YOU EXERCISE TO LOSE WEIGHT: 1. You might use exercise as a dangerous method to “purge” after a binge 2. It might become part of your “diet-routine”, so you only do it when you’ve gained weight but you never seem to keep it up. HOWEVER, IF YOU EXERCISE FOR YOUR HEALTH THINGS CAN CHANGE RAPIDLY! Come on…change with me…let’s do it to have more energy, feel healthier, have more confidence, enjoy our kids, dance with our husbands, have glowing skin and shiny hair! Their are so many benefits to exercise. One of it is weight loss, but don’t let it be the reason you do it girl, IT IS NOT A LASTING INCENTIVE! Think outside the box. Why settle for the ordinary? If you dig a little deeper you might find a tennis player, a swimmer, a runner, or a salsa dancer hiding in your heart. Do it for the glory of God! Let it be your sacrifice of praise! Moving for Christ! Heleen PS: Why are you ladies always …

Should I Give up Dessert Forever?

July 18, 2012March 8, 2010 by Heleen

ABSTINENCE OR MODERATION? In the world of Food Struggles the search for the “perfect treatment” continues, and in Christian circles the question whether one should be abstinent from certain food or learn to eat all food in moderation is an ongoing debate. What is a woman to do? Say goodbye to sweets forever, or eat every thing, but only one bite at a time? My Humble Opinion: Stop wondering about it and DO what you’ve gotta do girl! Actually, both of these “solutions” have merit: Gluttony, a sin that most ladies with food struggles deal with, is in itself a clear indication that we are dealing with eating too much and the solution should therefore be to repent and eat less, through the help of the Holy Spirit of course. However, a struggle with food also points to the sin of idolatry. Certain food can become an idol when we turn to it to make us happy, calm our nerves, and bring meaning to our lives. In the case of idolatry we need to repent from idolatry and then remove the “idol” from the throne of our hearts and give our hearts back to God. All of this can only be done through surrendering our food struggle to God. However, we have a part to play. Numerous verses in the Bible makes it clear that we are stewards over our bodies. Godly wisdom and common sense seem to apply here. An alcoholic would be wise not to work at a bar, and a person with a porn or gambling addiction would be wise to stay away from the computer especially at times when there is no accountability (late at night). In fact, I know people who got so tangled up in chat rooms and online communities that they had to get rid of …

The BIG issue of INSECURITY!

January 17, 2011March 1, 2010 by Heleen

I must admit, I’m blessed beyond what I’ve imagined by Beth Moore’s latest book “So Long Insecurity:You’ve been a bad friend to us” She said so many profound things, but one simple sentence hit me hard: “Worship in it simplest form is FOCUS” I keep reminding all of you wonderful ladies that our focus needs to change from WEIGHT LOSS to HEALTH if we ever want to get out of this nightmare of eating disorders. However, reading this book and looking at my own life, made me realize that there is more. There is a “deeper level” if you will. Our focus will probably never shift from WEIGHT LOSS to HEALTH if we don’t first move our focus from OURSELVES to GOD. Beth speaks about a deep insecurity that plagues the lives of so many. I’ve known this to be true in my own life and almost every lady I’ve encountered that has a struggle with food. Deep down at the bottom of our beings lies an insecurity that drives us to please others, to strive for perfection, to stay in control of our surroundings and the people we love, and to maintain or reach a certain weight AT ALL COST! Way too much stress and pressure for one person! No wonder that same person will reach for the cookie jar at the end of the day to quiet the voice that tells her “You will never be good enough!” The vicious cycle of eating disorders literally gets fueled by insecurity day after day. I think the main reason I like Beth so much is her honesty. I marvel at how she just comes out with the truth about her life, and it always inspires me to put the “mask” aside and tell the truth as well. I would so have loved to …